Lagos cancels the mass funeral it had planned for #EndSARS victims

According to the Lagos State Government, the mass burial of the 103 bodies found after the #EndSARS protest in October 2020 has been put on hold.

Following the uproar caused by the announcement in July, the planned mass burial was suspended, according to Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy.

The state government had stated it will execute a mass burial for the 103 victims in a leaked memo dated July 19, 2023.

This had caused a stir among civil society organisations and human rights activists.

Amnesty International, a human rights organisation, and a group operating under the banner of the Coalition of #EndSARS Protesters and Supporters have urged the state government to halt the mass burial’s schedule.

READ ALSO: Leaked Memo: 103 ENDSARS Victims For Mass Burial Not From Lekki Tollgate – Lagos Govt

In addition to the suspension demand, Amnesty International has urged the government to “also carry out transparent coroner inquest and autopsies on the 103 #EndSARS victims.”

On Monday, when questioned about the situation, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy stated that the scheduled mass burial “remains suspended to give people ample time to identify their relatives who may be among the corpses.”

When it was revealed that the government intended to bury them all at once, Omotoso stated, “It is to give more time for identification.”

He said, “Nobody has come out thus far to identify any of the corpses. However, the administration has chosen to extend the people’s time.

The scheduled burial, he continued, would “be carried out soon, but it was suspended due to the controversies at that time. People now have plenty of time and opportunity to check if their family members are there.